Dental articulator.



Patented Oct. I6, |900. T. G. LEWIS.

DENTAL ARTIGULATOH.

(Applicaticn led July 9, 1900.) (No Model.)

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States Pn'rnn'r rFICJE- THEODORE Gr. LEWIS, OF BUFFALO, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE BUFFALO DENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DENTAL ARTICULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,871, dated October 16, 1900.

Application filed July 9, 1900. Serial No. 22,945. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: threaded openings of the lower bracket D,

Be it known that I, THEODORE G. LEWIS, a while the inner portions of the pins enter loncitizen of the United States, residing at Bufgitudinal slots f, formed in the ends of the falo, in the county of Erie and State of New yoke C, as shown in Fig. 3. This connection 55 York, have invented new and useful Ilnprovepermits an endwise or forwardandbackward ments in Dental Articulators, of which the movement and also a lateral or oscillating following is a specication. movement of the yokeand the upperjaw-plate This inventionrelatestoanatomical ordenfor testing the occlusion of the teeth in a tal articulators in which the hinged upper well-known manner. 6o 10 jaw-plate is capable of a lateral and a for- 'g isalongitudinalbarrelorcasing mounted ward-andbackward movement in a horizonrigidly on the rearportion of the yoke or uptal plane. An articulator of this kind is per bracket O and preferably formed integral shown and described in Letters Patent of the therewith. This casing is open at its rear end United States No. 547,195, granted October and closed at its front end. I5 l, 1895, to Robert H. Antes, and my invenh isaguide-rod passing lengthwise through tion relates more especially to improvements the casing g and pivotally connected at its in said articulator. front end to the upper end of an arm or stand- The objects of my invention are to simplify ard I,which extends upwardly and rearwardly and improve the construction of the devices from the central portion of the lower bracket 7o zo which yieldingly hold the upper plate in its D, so that the rod is free to swivel laterally 5 normal central position, to provide a simple for accommodating itself to the oscillating lock or catch for reliably holding the upper movement of the upper jaw-plate. For this plate in an upright position, to provide said purpose the rod is preferably provided at its plate with convenient means for oscillating front end with an eye h, which engages with z5 it when'testinga case forocclusion, and finally a hook li of the arm I.

to improve the means for adjusting the up- .I is a centering or return spring arranged per plate vertically to accommodate casts of in the casing g around the guide-rod h and different thicknesses. bearing at its front end against the closed In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis head of the casing and at its rear end against 8o 3o a side elevation of my improved articulator. an adjusting-nut k, which engages with the Fig. 2 is a front view thereof. Fig. 3 is atop screw-threaded rear portion of the guide-rod. plan View of thesame, partlyin section. Fig. This adjusting-nut is preferably provided l is a central longitudinal section of the rear with a sleeve or tubular extension 7c', which portion of the articulator on an enlarged scale. fits into the barrel g and forms with the lat- 35 Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section ter a telescopic casing which completely inof the articulator, on an enlarged scale, showcloses the spring and prevents binding or ing the upper jaw-plate locked in its raised buckling of the same. The nut k forms a or upright position. Fig. 6 is ahorizontal secstationary rear abutment for the spring, and tion, on an enlarged scale, in line (3 6, Fig. 2. the latter therefore tends to hold the casing 9o 4o Like letters of reference referto like parts g, the yoke C, and the upper jaw-plate in in the several figures. their normal forward position. Upon press- A is the base or lower jaw-plate of the aring the upper plate rearwardly or oscillating ticulator, and B the upper vertically-swing it in a horizontal plane the spring is coming jaw-plate, which is secured centrally to pressed, and upon releasing the plate the 45 the yoke or upper bracket C. This yoke is spring automatically returns the same to its hinged by horizontal pivot-pins d to the upnormal position. The tension of the spring wardly-extending ends of a lower bracket D, can be readily regulated as desired by screwwhich is secured to a standard E, rising from ing the nut 7c forwardly or backwardly on the the rear portion of the lower jaw-plate A. guide-rod h. loo 5o The outer portions of the pivotpins d are If desired, the upper jaw-plate may be depreferably screw-threaded and engage in prived of all movements except its vertical one by screwing the adj usting-nut Zr; against the rear end of the spring-casing g, so as to confine the casing against movement on the guide-rod h.

In order to reliably hold the upper plate in a raised or upright position and prevent the same from falling down accidentally and injuring the teeth or the cast, said plate is provided with an automatic catch, which interlocks with the lower bracket or base when the upper plate is raised to a position at right angles to the base. This catch preferably consists of a forwardly-facing lug or nose l, which is arranged on the under side of the casing g and which is adapted to interlock with a lip Z', arranged at the lower rear portion of the arm I, as shown in Fig. 5. Upon swinging the upper plate to its upright position the beveled or rounded end of the locking-catch Z .rides over the lip l', drawing the casing g and the yoke C downwardly on the guide-rod h and compressing the spring J, and as soon as the catch engages behind said lip the sp1-ing reacts and draws the yoke upwardly, thereby locking the upper plate. In order to release the locked plate, it is only necessary to depress the same sufticientl to disengage its locking-catch from the lip M represents thumb-pieces arranged at the ends of the yoke C on its front side and eX- t'ending outwardly or laterally therefrom. These thumb-pieces permit the upper plate to be conveniently oscillated when testing the case for occlusion without exerting any pressure upon the teeth, thus rendering the test more accurate.

The lower bracketD is provided with a post n, which is vertically adjustable on the basestandard E, so that the upper plate can be raised or lowered to accommodate casts of different thicknesses. The standard is provided at its lateral edges with upright grooves or ways o, which receive the edges of the post n, and the standard is split or divided vertically, as shown at o'.

p is a transverse clamping-screw or bolt which passes through perforated lugs p', formed on the front side of the standard on opposite sides of its slit and whereby the divided portions of lthe standard are drawn together for tightly clamping the post n in the grooves of the standard. Upon loosening this bolt the upper plate can be adjusted vertically, and after aecting the adjustment the bolt is again tightened.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with the base or lower jaw-plate, of the upper jaw-plate and its yoke or bracket capable of a combined vertical and forwardand-backward movement, a guide confined against longitudinal movement o'n the lower jaw-'plate and provided at its rear end with an abutment, a spring-casing rigidly mounted on said yoke or bracket and sliding upon said guide, and a spring arranged in said casing and bearing at its rear end against said abutment, substantially as set forth.

` 2. The combination with the base orlower jaw-plate, of the upper jaw-plate and its yoke or bracket capable of a combined vertical and forward-and-backward movement, a guidea rod confined against longitudinal movement on the lower jaw-plate, a spring-casing sliding on said guide-rod, an adjusting-nut mounted on the rear portion of said rod and having a tubular extension which enters said casing, and a spring arranged in said casing between said nut and the lhead of the casing, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the base or lower jaw-plate, having a bracket and an arm extending upwardly from said bracket and provided with a hook, of an upper jaw-plate and its yoke or bracket capable of a combined endwise and lateral movement on said basebracket and carrying a rigid spring-casing,

a guide-rod passing loosely through said casing and provided at its front end with an eye which engages with said hook and at its projecting rear end with an adj usting-nut, and a spring arranged in said casing and abutting at its rear end against said nut, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the base or lower jaw-plate, of the upper jaw-plate capable of swinging vertically on the lower plate, and a catch whereby the upper plate is locked in its raised position, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the base or lower jaw-plate, of the upper jaw-plate capable of a combined vertical and forward-and-backward movement on the lower plate and provided with a catch which is arranged to interlock with the base or lower plate when the upper plate is raised, and a spring which tends to shift the upper plate forwardly, substantially as set forth.

l 6. The combination with the base or lower jaw-plate, of the upper jaw-plate capable of a combined lateral and endwise movement and having a yoke or bracket which is provided adjacent to its hinge with projecting thumb-pieces, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 28th day of June, 1900.

THEO. G. LEWIS.

Vitnesses:

CARL F. GEYER, CLAUDIA M. BENTLEY.

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